Suggestions
by TankianDarts
Summary: Tigress is acting weird, and Po wants to find out why. And when he does, will anyone else? Tigress is dealing with a stress that seems to never go away. Will anyone be able to help? I do NOT own KFP.
1. What're You Doing?

Po sighed. Tigress wasn't acting right. Pi took a glance over at Tigress, who was sitting on the couch in her room. She was reading a magazine on motorcycles. Po shook his head and walked into the kitchen to make soup. He took a wok out of the cupboard and set it on the stove.  
"Tigress!" Po called "You want soup?!" There was no answer. Po sighed and took a towel off the counter, wiping his hands as he walked out into the hallway. "Tig!" He yelled.  
"Go away!" She yelled. Her voice sounded hoarse and she sounded like she was crying. Po ran down the hallway and opened her door, seeing her sit next to her closet with blood on her forehead. Po gasped and ran to her, taking his wet towel and patting her head with the towel.  
"Tigress, what happened?" Po demanded. Tigress sighed and touched the cut, pulling away and groaning in pain.  
"I..." She started. "I can't say." Po grabbed her hand and squeezed it, watching her turn her head.  
"Please tell me," he whispered. "Please."  
"I can't!" She yelled.  
"Tell me!"  
"NO!" She screamed, scratching Po"s face. Po yelped and fell on his back, holding the scratch marks. Tigress sighed and crawled towards Po, getting on her knees. She grabbed the towel and wiped Po's head, then wiping her own (again). She looked up at Po and smiled.  
"I did it myself."


	2. Listen, Tigress

"What do you mean?" Po asked, yanking the rag from Tigress' hand. "You did it to yourself? On purpose?" Tigress didn't respond with words, but only a nod. She had told Po enough. She wouldn't say why, but Po had a good feeling. He stood up and helped Tigress up, grabbing her hand and pulling hard enough. Tigress sighed and cracked her neck, looking out her bedroom window, where Shifu was walking up the steps and about to enter the doors. Tigress gasped.

"Po!" She said quickly. "I can't let Shifu see me like this!"

"Alright, alright," Po whispered. "How about you go take a shower and rinse it out. If Shifu notices it, just tell him you, uhh, slipped or something. Alright?" He asked. Tigress nodded and ran into the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it quickly. She let out a long sigh and unbuttoned her vest, throwing it in the clothes hamper across from the sink. She took off all of her clothes and did the same thing. She turned on the bath water and pulled up the plug, letting the shower fall roughly into the bathtub.

Tigress smiled. She hadn't had a decent shower in a while. It was either having to do with being rushed or there was one of the boys getting in before she could even have a chance to see the doorway. She stepped into the bathtub and felt the water rinse out the cut, feeling a slight stinging. She growled and put her head down, seeing some blood drip from the fur right above her eyes. She grabbed a washrag that was hanging up on a rack and got it wet, wiping her fur from the blood that would soon become dry.

Then, Tigress picked up the shampoo that Viper had recommended for her. She poured a decent amount in her hand and rubbed it on her head. Unfortunately, the shampoo mixed with the water and it poured down her forehead and into the cut. Tigress screamed and wiped the shampoo off her forehead, holding her open wound in pain.

"Holy God..." Tigress whispered, setting the shampoo down on the side of the bathtub. She started to wash the rest of her body, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. She put down the body wash and turned off the water, wiping the wet fur off her eyes. "Who is it?" She demanded.

"It's me, Tigress." Called Shifu. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tigress yelled back. She stepped out of the bathtub and walked to the sink, grabbing a towel and wiping her face. She dried herself off and put new clothes on, looking at her reflection in the foggy mirror. She still had a noticeable cut in her forehead. She groaned and cautiously put her hand on the doorknob, opening it and seeing Shifu stand in front of her. She smiled and threw the towel on the sink, looking at the window behind Shifu in her room. "It's...getting dark." She said. Shifu nodded.

"It is," he agreed. "But there's a little...you know...gash on your forehead. What happened?" Tigress scratched her head and looked down the hallway, then back to Shifu. "Uhh, well, I was sparring with Po and I hit my head on one of Mantis' gauntlets. Shifu raised an eyebrow and looked down the hall. "But, those are hanging from the ceiling." He said.

"Oh yeah, well, I just jumped really high and didn't see...it." She whispered. Shifu nodded and walked out of sight, leaving her in the doorway. Tigress shook her head and ran into her room, shutting the door and locking it.

"The gauntlet, eh?" A voice said. Tigress quickly turned around and saw Po sitting on her bed, throwing a bouncy ball up in the air. Tigress smiled sarcastically and sat in a chair, looking over at Po. "Yes, the gauntlet." She said. "I wasn't going to say I tripped. That would be wrong."

"Wrong as in 'weird' or wrong as in 'bad'?" Po asked.

"Bad." Tigress said. "That's a poor excuse."

"Well, it was just an option." Po said. "You were confused at first too!"

"I know, I know..." She said. Tigress stood up and walked over to the bed, sitting next to Po. Po looked over at her and smiled, putting his arm around hers.

"What did you think to do that to yourself?" Po asked. Tigress shook her head and scoffed.

"You wouldn't understand..." She whispered. Po shrugged.

"I guess I wouldn't," he said. "but listen. If you ever want advice, I'm always here for you." Tigress smiled and patted his back, standing up and stretching.

"Thanks," she said. "now get out of my room."


	3. The Memories Will Roll Right In

Po was happy. For once, Tigress was being appreciative of him. He never took a compliment or a 'thank you' once from her. He thought of them as 'growing more fond' of each other. Po walked out of her room and closed the door, raising his leg to walk, but it bumped right into Shifu. Po looked down at Shifu and gasped, looking around him to see if anyone else was sparring.

"Shifu!" He whispered. "Are you listening to us?"

"Only to all of it." He said. "And I want to know what happened because-"

"I can't!" Po said. "Tigress was already uncomfortable telling me about it!"

"I can't say I'm surprised," Shifu said. "but if you have a right to know, so do I." He said, walking down the hall. He opened his door and turned to Po. "Whenever you're free to tell me, i'll be in my room meditating. Otherwise, goodnight." He said, shutting his door. Po sighed and walked down the hallway, and opened his bedroom door. There was no way he was telling Shifu this easily.

The next day, Po and Tigress were sparring with each other while the others went to go get Christmas decorations. There was only a month until Christmas. Every year, Shifu got a huge load of Christmas decorations for the Jade Palace, including a 30-foot tree to go in the Sacred Hall of Warriors. Po and Tigress decided to take a lunch break and head down to Mr. Ping's, since he would give them a discount. Po wiped the sweat off his head and sat on the wooden bench, watching Tigress walk towards him. He moved over an inch and Tigress sat next to him, wiping her own head off.

"Wow Po," she said, heavily breathing in between. "You really know...how to fight." Po shrugged.

"It's in my moves," he sighed, looking down at his stomach. "And my gut. I'm hungry!" Tigress stood up and raised her hands. "Then let's eat!"

Po and Tigress walked into Mr. Ping's, receiving bows from the other customers there. Tigress and Po bowed back and walked inside, seeing Mr. Ping walk out of the shop.

"Po! Master Tigress! It's so good to see you two!"

"Hey dad!" Po said.

"Hey son! How's it going?" He asked.

"Perfect! We just need some noodles." Mr. Ping ran into the shop and Po took Tigress to a table in the back of the shop where they wouldn't be disturbed by anyone. Po and Tigress sat down across each other and waited for their food. Then, Po remembered the whole 'cut' incident. He remembered what Shifu said. What would he tell him? What would he tell _Tigress_? He needed to break it to Tigress first so he could get her opinion on Shifu.

"Tigress?" Po asked. Tigress nodded.

"Huh?" She asked. Po smiled uncomfortably and looked over at the noodle shop, then back at Tigress.

"Uh, well, I...talked to Shifu after I left your room, and I-"

"You better not have told him about the cut." She said. Po nodded and raised his hands in defense.

"I didn't, I didn't." He said. "But he wanted to know and now _I _want to know if I should tell him or not."

"Why would _he_ want to know?" She asked. Po shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe because he's your _dad_?" He suggested. Tigress scoffed.

"Why would he care?" She asked. "He's never cared..."

**Po's POV**

I decided then that I wouldn't want to talk to Tigress then. She was already looking sad enough, and asking 'why' would just be a huge mistake. My dad walked out of the restaurant and handed us our noodle soup, and we each said our 'thanks'. Tigress looked at her bowl and then moved it a little to the side, looking right at me.

"Po," she whispered. "can you keep this a secret?"

"Sure," I said, with a mouthful of noodles. Tigress shook her head and continued. "Umm, Shifu wasn't really a dad to me. He was more of a...well, have you seen those movies with, like, a princess that has a dad that-I mean, she's royalty, right? And you would think she can have anything she wants, but her dad's very strict about her leaving and interacting with others." Po sat in silence for a minute and pushed his empty bowl forward.

"That's how Shifu's like?" Po asked. Tigress nodded. "I thought of him as like a fun, playful guy! At least towards you..." He muttered.

"He never played with me when I was little! It was all Tai Lung! He was the only real kid he's ever had! When he saw me do something great, he would do nothing but correct me! If I were Tai Lung, he would have congratulated me!" She yelled. Po looked at Tigress, and he could see a tear going down her cheek, something no one ever saw.

"You're crying..." He said.

"No I'm not!" She exclaimed. Po nodded and looked down at her soup, pointing at it.

"Are you gonna eat that?"


	4. This Isn't Happening

After their lunch break, Po and Tigress decided to go back to the Palace before the others got back. On their way back, Tigress and Po had a concluding talk about Shifu and how he was when she was little. Po listened intently. These kinds of talks interested Po because he was able to get to know the person more. In this case, it was Tigress. From the things he heard, Tigress wasn't a tough kid. She learned a lot from Shifu and everything she knows about Kung Fu was from him. Shifu was rough, but he still loved her.

"Now that I talk about it, Shifu isn't as bad as I thought." She said. Po nodded.

"Yeah, he sounds great!" He exclaimed. "My dad was only there to teach my how to cook and pay for my school. Now only see him once a week if I'm lucky." Po sighed. Tigress patted his back and didn't say anything. She knew she'd mess it up somehow. Po took a mint out of his pocket and put it in his mouth, then getting another.

"Want it?" Po asked, holding it out towards her. Tigress shook her head and Po put it back in his pocket. Tigress took the first step on the 10,000 steps and waited for Po. Po looked at Tigress and smiled, walking next to her. "Wanna race?" Tigress smiled.

"My pleasure." She said. The two started running up the steps, and, of course, Tigress would by a few minutes. Tigress sat at the top and took a drink from her water bottle, waiting for Po to get to the top. Two minutes later, she could see Po walking up the steps. He wasn't even trying anymore. Tigress laughed and saw him struggle up the last few steps. Po laid on the ground and turned to his back, wiping the sweat off his chest. Tigress helped Po up and walked inside, feeling the cool air hit her. Po walked into the Palace and smiled, sitting down on the couch.

"You want to spar or have another quick break?" She asked.

"The second option." Po said. Tigress laughed and sat down next to him, getting comfortable quickly.

"So, do you feel the same way about your dad that I do?" She asked. Po shook his head.

"Nah, not really. It's just that he dated a lot." Tigress got a confused look right away. "I know, it's shocking. Anyway, that really put a damper on things because he never spent time with me a lot because he was always searching for a girl if he didn't have one. It was either online dating sites, commercials, or just looking for girls outside. He wasn't the kind of dad who would put playing with his first on his list. He sorta stopped when I was fourteen because I told him how I felt, but he still looked, just not that often." Tigress nodded and looked down at the ground.

"Seems like your dad cared for you." She said. "It's just...my dad never showed any affection to me. It was either a command or a pitiful remark. He didn't show any mercy, never said sorry...I don't know why that was either." Po shrugged.

"He's just tough! I mean, he's a Kung Fu master. Usually they don't go all lovey-lovey when they're around their kung fu prodigies." He said. Tigress nodded and looked up at Po.

"I see where that's going, but I've asked for compliments! Almost all the time! He told me he 'didn't have time for it'. What does that mean?" She asked. "Like, I never had a mother! Shifu wasn't married, he was never dating! All he did was spar with himself and other warriors! He almost had to go out and fight bandits two hours a day! I never saw him at all..." She said. Po decided that this conversation was too depressing for him _and_ her, so he decided to change the subject.

"What made you think of cutting yourself?" Po asked. "Was it Shifu?"

"Oh _no_!" She exclaimed. "It had nothing to do with him."

"Then what?" Po asked. "I can't think of anything bad that's happened lately. I just want to know so I can help you."

"I don't like talking about it," she said. Po shrugged, then sighed.

"Fine," he said. "but if you wanna tell me, I swear I won't tell anyone. Not one soul, not even my dad!" Tigress sighed and thought about it. Po was a trusting guy, but he was also good at accidentally telling secrets. It's happened a lot with Monkey, but never with her. She never dared to tell anyone her secrets, and she never had a journal to keep. Everything she kept as a secret stayed with her. She didn't know how to approach it. Every time she thought about it, her heart started beating rapidly. It felt like her heart was in her throat. She felt like it would explode.

Her body hurt. Her arms tingled and her head started to hurt. She had been keeping the stress in for too long. She's been upset about it for weeks, but she hadn't expressed it until now. Po wanted to know. Tigress looked up at him and frowned.

"You _promise_ you won't tell anyone?" she asked. Po held out his pinky.

"Pinky promise." He said. Tigress held out her pinky and linked it with his. Tigress nodded and turned her whole body to Po, folding her hands and placing them on her lap.

"Okay..." She started. "I...was diagnosed with breast cancer."

"What?!" Po yelled, covering his mouth. "Are you serious?" He whispered. Tigress nodded.

"So serious." She said. "The doctor just called me two weeks ago, and he said they found cancer cells." Po scratched his chin and stood up, pacing back and forth.

"Why don't you want Shifu knowing this?" Po asked. "He could help you!"

"Because I don't want him to rush me to the hospital or something. I already have an appointment on the 8th. The doctor said they would have to run tests on me or something."

"I'm so freaking confused." Po said, holding his head. "So...you have cancer and no one knows but us two?" Tigress nodded. Po sighed and held his hands out. "This sucks! Christmas is in a month! Tigress, I...I'm sorry." Tigress shook her head and held her hand up.

"Po, I understand, but there's nothing you can do." Po watched Tigress as she walked out of the room and slammed her door shut. Po stood up and walked down the hallway, entering his room and shutting the door quietly.


	5. One Step Closer

Shifu was walking down the hallway. He had just gotten back from meditating in his room. He smelled gingerbread cookies cooking in the oven, and pine needles from the Christmas tree he had put up earlier. It reminded him of happiness. Christmas was his favorite time of the year. He could see Po walking out of the kitchen. Po turned around and saw Shifu walking towards him, and he walked towards him.

"Shifu," he whispered. "I've got a huge problem." Shifu nodded.

"Come," he said. Po followed him into his room, and shut the door quietly. Po sat on the ground and Shifu sat next to him, looking up at him. "Alright Po," he said. "What's wrong?" Po looked down at Shifu and sighed.

"Tigress...just told me a secret."

"Go on," he nodded.

"She's known it for a couple weeks, and I...I don't know what to do." Po said. Shifu nodded.

"I understand," he said. "you don't want her to be mad at you, but it concerns you so much you want me to know." Po smiled.

"Exactly." He said. Shifu nodded.

"Tell me." He said.

"Alright," Po said. Tigress just told me...she has breast cancer." Shifu's eyes grew and his heart pounded. His head spun quickly to Po's face.

"She what?!" He yelled, standing up quickly. Po stood up too and ran towards Shifu, who was already opening the door. "Shifu!" He yelled. "Don't make a big deal!"

Shifu ran into Tigress' room, where he saw her sleeping peacefully. He ran to her bed and shook her, waking her up right away.

"Wha-?" She asked, looking up drowsily at Shifu. His face was red with anger. Tigress sighed.

"Po told you?" She suggested. Shifu nodded.

"Yes, he did." He said. "Come with me." Tigress groaned and rubbed her temples, slowly getting out of bed. Shifu led her to the kitchen and Po followed. They were going to have a long talk. Shifu sat down and Tigress sat next to him. Po sat across from them and listened to their talk. He was scared of what Tigress and him would yell about, but he had to know. Shifu was her dad. He had responsibilities to know what was going on in her life.

"Tigress," Shifu said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you making a big deal out of it," she said.

"But I'm your father!" He exclaimed. "I need to know what happens to my daughter!"

"Like you'd care..." She muttered. Shifu raised an eyebrow and looked at her confused.

"What does _that_ mean?" He asked. Po stood up and began to make himself noodle soup, listening to the two fight.

"It means you've never appreciated me for anything! I never feel you've shown any love..." She said. Shifu scoffed.

"Of course I appreciate you! I love you!" He exclaimed. Tigress' face turned from angry to happy. She had never heard Shifu say that to her. Actually, to anyone. She hugged Shifu as tightly as she could, not letting go. Shifu hugged her back and Po watched them, smiling to himself.

"I love you too!" Tigress exclaimed. Po walked over to them and held his arms out.

"Group hug?"

"No." They both said. Po sighed and continued to make the food.

Later that day, Tigress and Po started to take a walk by the frozen creek. It was about 20 degrees. Po and Tigress both wore sweatshirts and their hands were in their pockets. Po wore a hat because he thought he looked cool in it. Tigress looked over at Po and put her arm behind his back.

"Thanks Po." she said. Po smiled.

"Your welcome," he said, looking down at her. "for what?" Tigress laughed.

"For telling Shifu. You did the right thing. We're getting closer than we were before. Po spotted a bench and took Tigress' hand, running to the bench. He sat down on one side and Tigress sat next to him. Po looked over at Tigress and smiled, looking out at the frozen water. He felt something wet touch his arm. He looked up and noticed it was snowing. He smiled and felt something touch his shoulder, he looked down and saw Tigress resting her head on him. He smiled and put his arm around her, and Tigress put hers on his lap. Tigress looked up at Po and smiled, sitting up and straightening her shirt.

"Sorry." She said. Po laughed and patted her back.

"It's okay," he said. "It's okay..."


	6. One of my Turns

It was December 2nd. All of the Christmas decorations were finally up and the Jade Palace felt homey. Shifu was walking down the halls to admire the scenery. He loved Christmas. He never missed one year of his life putting up decorations. It was his favorite time of the year. December was one of the only months Shifu was always happy, no matter what. He was always in the Christmas spirit, he was always singing Christmas songs, and he was always baking cookies when he had the chance. If he didn't, Po would.

Shifu wore a Christmas sweater and a Santa hat around to put others in the spirit. The front doors of the Palace held a huge wreath on it to make it even more festive. The kitchen smelled like gingerbread cookies, while the rest of the Palace smelled like pine needles from the huge Christmas tree. Tigress and Po went out to get scented pinecones and other extra decorations for the Palace. He counted on them to have every little detail perfect. He _needed_ it perfect for his perfect holiday season.

Po walked into the doors of a large home improvement store, where there were Christmas decorations in the far back and outside there were Christmas trees. Po smiled at the Christmas decorations the store put up themselves. Tigress walked in after Po and felt the warm store, sighing comfortably.

"Finally some warmth..." Tigress whispered. Po nodded.

"Yeah, I know. Now, let's get to the back of the store and get some decorations!" He exclaimed. He started to speed walk to the back of the store and Tigress followed. Half way there, Po looked behind him and noticed Tigress wasn't there. Po sighed and looked behind him, searching each aisle to find Tigress. He found her down the aisle that had tools and other building supplies in it. Po walked down the aisle and stood by Tigress, looking at the screwdriver she was holding.

"Tigress." Po said. "We aren't here to look for-"

"I know," she interrupted. "But Shifu said he wanted one of these. I'll just get this for him." Tigress put the screwdriver in a basket she took from the front of the store and walked behind Po. Po continued to walk to the back of the store. He was almost there, but then he had a feeling she wasn't behind him. Po turned around and smiled. She wasn't there. He turned around again and looked down another aisle, seeing her look at a staple-gun. Po walked over to it and put it in the basket she was holding.

"Shifu wants it?"

"Yep," she said. Po nodded and continued to walk once more. As he was getting closer, he could hear Tigress say, 'I'm still here'. Po laughed and put a thumbs up.

"Good." He said. Po finally reached the back of the store. He turned left and looked for the pinecones first. As he was looking, he also found garland, which Shifu wanted. He picked up the garland and walked over to Tigress, putting the garland in the basket. He turned around and started to look for the pinecones again.

"Do you think this Christmas will be fun?" She asked. "You know, with us?" Po looked up at her and shrugged.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean, like, you've never had Christmas with us before. You don't know our traditions." She said. Po scoffed.

"I think I can learn those easily." He said. "Piece of cake!"

"How are you so sure?" Tigress asked.

"I love cake!" Po exclaimed. "And I've lived with you guys for a year now! I think I can handle it."

"Alright." Tigress said, looking down and seeing the pinecones. "Oh, Po, found 'em." She said. Po smiled and turned around.

"Good!" He excaimed. "Let's get out of here!"

Po and Tigress walked out of the store and by the time they got out, it was already snowing. Tigress and Po smiled at the lights and snow and how beautiful they were. Tigress looked over at Po and put her hat on, grabbing his from his pocket and putting it on him. Po smiled and adjusted the hat, walking down the streets and avoiding cyclists and other transportations. Po looked around himself. The Valley of Peace was beautiful. There were lights hanging everywhere: the houses, the shops, and even the smallest things had decorations on them. To Po, it was a winter wonderland.

Po looked down at Tigress and she looked up at him, which caused them both to smile. He felt Tigress grab his hand and he looked down, seeing her hold his hand tightly. Po smiled and held hers, looking up at the dark sky. It was only six and the sky was already getting dim. Tigress brought Po to the sidewalk and sat on a bench, letting Po sit next to her. She looked up at Po and put gloves on, looking down at the ground blushing, and Po followed.

Tigress looked up at Po and put her arms slowly around his neck, waiting for him to move. Po smiled. He put his arms around her stomach and hesitantly reached down and kissed her. Monkey, Mantis, and Crane were on their way back from the grocery store, getting more Christmas cookies because they ate most of them. They saw the two kissing and stopped where they were. Monkey's jaw dropped and he dropped the bags of cookies he was holding.

As Po was kissing Tigress, he could hear someone say 'Good job Po!' Po hurriedly looked up and saw Monkey waving at him, while the other two were laughing. Po and Tigress laughed too and stood up, looking over at each other. They were both in love and they knew it. Tigress took Po's hand again and walked ahead of the other boys, hearing them run behind them. Crane caught up to Po and leaned down to his ear.

"Did that just happen?" He whispered. Po nodded.

"It did." He smiled.


	7. Not Now

It was the next morning. Tigress was fast asleep in her bed, and her room was very peaceful. You couldn't see the sun yet, or even a little light in the sky. There was nothing but blackness. The whole Palace still kept the same smell, the lights were all turned off on the tree so they wouldn't catch on fire, and everything was still. If you were awake, the only noise you'd hear is the wind slightly blowing on the window pane. It was meditational. Until Po came along.

Tigress was having a peaceful dream. A dream about a perfect Christmas, with perfect decorations, everyone was in a perfect mood, and outside: it was pure white. A thick blanket of snow and there was more to come, falling from the sky so light. The sun was barely shining. It was about six in the morning and everyone had a cup of coffee, and everything was so relaxing. But, Po wasn't there. In the dream, Tigress searched the Palace, and only heard a voice telling her, 'you guys won't die. Stop worrying'.

Outside of Tigress' thoughts, Po quietly opened Tigress' door and peered inside, barely seeing her without any light. He put his hand on the switch and flickered it on and off.

"Tigress!" Po called. Tigress' eyes shot open and she screamed, holding her chest in fright. She glared over at Po and sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"Po!" She exclaimed. "What're you doing?"

"We need to talk." Po said in a stern tone. Tigress sighed and threw her legs over the side of the bed, standing up and dragging the blanket with her. She kicked it off and followed Po into the kitchen. Po sat down and Tigress sat across from him, looking up at the clock.

"You realize it's 4:30, right?" She asked.

"I do," Po nodded. "and we need to have a word." Tigress looked at the coffee pot, yearning coffee, then looked back at Po.

"What did I do?" Tigress asked. "If must've been bad since you couldn't wait until a decent time." Po nodded and stood up, walking to the coffee pot. He saw Tigress look at it.

"It wasn't you," he said. "actually, it wasn't any of you."

"Then what?" Tigress asked. Po looked down and sighed, clutching his coffee mug tightly. He looked over at Tigress and spoke.

"It's me." He said. Tigress sat still for a minute, then she shrugged.

"Okay...what about you?" She asked. Po shook his head and grabbed a coffee filter, putting it on the top of the pot.

"I...just put this stress on myself." He said. Tigress raised an eyebrow.

"What'd you do?" She asked. Po hesitated, sitting back down in his chair.

"I went to your doctor..."

"Po!" Tigress exclaimed. "What'd you do?"

"I...just went into your doctor, a-and asked for any new results." He said. Tigress' eyes widened and she stood up.

"What'd he say?" Tigress asked. Po shook his head.

"You _wanna_ know?" Po asked. Tigress nodded.

"I'll find out sooner or later anyway," Tigress sighed. "just say it."

"Fine," Po sighed. "you...the doctor said you're...anemic." Po said. Tigress shook her head and looked down at the ground.

"I'd be more concerned if I knew what that was." She said.

"It means you don't have enough healthy red blood cells in your blood." Po said. "And that could make the cancer worse." Tigress groaned and rubbed her temples. How was this happening to her? Tigress had never smoked, she had only drank once, and she never had any symptoms, like tumors. She checked herself every week. She had a mammogram once a year, and they haven't found anything. She was never prone to any risk factors of getting it. She only had one question: Why her?

"Po," she sighed. "I can't take this. I can't believe what's happening to me. All my life I was healthy." Tigress started to cry. "Each day of my life was like one of yours! I was never physically hurting myself, and look what I just did two days ago! This cancer's hurting me more than anything else had! I don't understand!" She wiped a tear away and cleared her throat, straightening herself up. Po nodded and stood up, walking to the coffee pot.

"If you need any help, remember what I said two days ago." He said. Tigress nodded and stood up.

"I remember," she said, grabbing a coffee cup from the cupboard. "but I don't just need mental help. I need physical help." Po nodded and poured himself coffee, pouring Tigress her's. Tigress walked back to the table. She liked the coffee with no sugar or cream. Po walked over to Tigress and sat down across from her, pouring sugar in his glass.

"I'll be here." Po said. "Always. If you need physical help, I'll find someone. If you need mental help, I'm here for you. If you need money for any medicines to help pain, I'll help you pay for it. I'll do whatever it takes...no matter what."


	8. Help

Tigress nodded. She trusted Po. He was the kind of guy who could make you feel better no matter what was wrong with you. You could be dying and Po would have a joke to say. Tigress took a sip of her coffee and looked at the clock, noticing it was getting close to 5:00. Tigress yawned and stood up, walking towards the doorway.

"I'm gonna go to bed." Tigress said, rubbing her eyes. Po smiled faintly and stood up, walking towards her.

"Me too." He said. Tigress nodded and walked down the hallway, feeling the cool breeze hit her. She shivered and crossed her arms, hurrying into her own warm room. She opened the door and shut it tightly behind her, walking towards her bed. She sat down on it and pulled her blankets off the floor, covering herself with them. She turned to the wall and began to peacefully sleep.

It was December 17th. The kung fu warriors were already getting each other friendly presents, and Po already gave each of them two. Po really loved Christmas. He would get everyone presents no matter if they wanted something from him or not. He made sure he gave Monkey some almond cookies on Christmas morning.

Tigress walked into the Sacred Hall of Warriors and looked up at the beautiful Christmas tree. Everything about it made Tigress think of her dad. Shifu put a lot of effort into the holiday season, and she was proud of him. She just gave a shrug and sat against the wall, taking a pack of gum out of her pocket. Po walked into the room and saw her, walking towards her. Tigress heard and looked up, sighing and putting the pack away.

"Great..." She muttered. Po sat next to her and smiled warmly, grabbing a cookie from his pocket. He started to eat it wildly. Tigress scoffed and looked at the ground, then saw Po look at her in the corner of her eye.

"What's wrong?" Po asked. Tigress shook her head.

"Nothing," she muttered. Po frowned and got comfortable, sitting criss-cross and putting his hands on his lap.

"C'mon!" Po smiled. "I wanna know what's eating at ya!"

"You might as well back off." Tigress said, scratching her head. Po was taken back by the response, then taking the last bite of the cookie.

"What're you talking about?" Po asked.

"You," Tigress said coldly. "I want you to leave." Po raised his hands in protest.

"Why?" He asked, his voice growing louder. "I didn't do anything to you!"

"Really?" Tigress asked. "It seems like you just wanna make me worry more."

"I was just worried about you!" Po exclaimed. "You were fine last night!"

"Why do you think I went to bed?" Tigress asked, looking over at Po. Po bit his bottom lip and looked away from her.

"Sorry, Tigress. I just wanted to-"

"To what?" Tigress snapped. "Help? That's not gonna help me at all! Everything you've said to me so far was something about my cancer! You know what? Forget it...I'll just handle this on my own. Just stay out of my way."

"Listen up sister!" Po yelled, pointing at her. "All I've thought about was you for the past couple weeks! I've been taking care of you nonstop and you still don't care! A couple weeks ago, you and me kissed! I don't know if that was a good week for you or what, but I don't care! The point is you're treating me horribly and I was never mean to you once! So why don't you back off so I can try to fix this." Po stood up and walked out of the Sacred Hall, leaving Tigress by herself.

_What has gotten into me? _She thought. She stood up and walked out of the room, and into the room she loved: the training room.

When Tigress got inside, she shut the doors and looked ahead, seeing Crane spar with the punching bag, which he never did. Tigress smiled and walked into the room standing 20 feet behind Crane.

"I see you're training pretty early." Tigress said, yawning afterwards. Crane jumped and looked behind him, seeing Tigress with her hands on her hips. Crane smiled. He had a big crush on Tigress, but never expressed it like he wanted to. He scratched the back of his head and kicked the punching bag out of the way.

"Oh, yeah..." Crane said. "You're here too..." Tigress nodded.

"I am," she said. "I came to punch the punching bag. Mind if I try?"

"Go right ahead." Crane said. Tigress nodded and walked over to the punching bag, allowing Crane to get out of the way. She clenched her fists and threw a punch, sending the punching bag through the wall. Crane's jaw dropped and stared at the hole in the wall. Tigress cracked her knuckles and looked at Crane.

"I haven't punched that in a while." She sighed. "Didn't know my own strength..." Crane nodded. He looked over at Tigress and frowned, seeing her eyes water up.

"You're crying..."

"No I'm not!" Tigress exclaimed, looking at the ground. Crane smiled and raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to look at him. Eventually, she did. She sighed and wiped her eye. "Fine, I am..." She sighed. Crane smiled and patted her back.

"There ya go!" He exclaimed, walking over to the wall. He sat down and wiped his head, watching Tigress walk over to him. She sat down next to him and hit her head against the wall, turning slowly towards him.

"I need to talk to you."


	9. One Crane with Two Stones

"Okay," Crane said. "What's wrong?"

Tigress groaned and sat up against the wall, getting comfortable in a criss cross position. She looked at the ground and sighed, rubbing her sore legs from training and sparring.

"I...I just got in a fight with Po." She said. Crane nodded.

"Alright, why?" He asked.

"Because I have-umm, never mind." She said. Crane looked over at her again and raised his hands.

"No, no, no," he said. "Tell me." Tigress nodded.

"The doctor just wrote to me and said I have breast cancer." She said. Crane's jaw dropped and he looked down at the ground, shaking his head. He held his fore head in his hands and breathed heavily, thinking about what she had just told him. Tigress frowned and looked underneath his hands, trying to see his face. He looked back up and put his knees up, putting his elbow down.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Kinda." Crane said. "You have breast cancer, but..." He stopped. Tigress raised an eyebrow and pulled herself to her knees.

"And?..." Tigress asked. Crane shook his head quickly.

"Never mind." He said, standing up slowly. Tigress stood up afterwards and had a worried look on her face.

"W-what do you know?" She asked. Crane shook his head and walked towards the doors.

"Nothing!" He exclaimed. Tigress growled and clenched her fists, walking towards him.

"You better tell me!" She exclaimed. "I don't need any more stress."

"Please tell me you aren't mad..." Crane said quietly.

"I'm growing towards it!" Tigress explained. "This is why me and Po are fighting! Tell me!" She yelled. Crane opened the door and shook his head.

"I can't. I want you to wait until you hear from the doctor." He said, walking out the doors. Tigress ran after him and grabbed his wing, pulling him around. Crane tried to yank his wing away, but her grip was too strong. He struggled to pull his arm away, but she wouldn't budge.

"Tigress!" Crane exclaimed.

"Crane!" Tigress said back. Po opened his bedroom door and walked outside, looking over at them.

"What's going on?" Po asked, walking towards them. Crane gasped and looked back at Tigress.

"Tigress is holding me hostage." He muttered. Tigress scoffed.

"I am not! I'm holding you back forcefully!"

"Why?" Po asked.

"Because Crane knows something!" Tigress exclaimed. Po sighed and looked over at him.

"Oh come on Crane!" He whined. "This is why me and _her _are fighting!" Tigress raised her arms and looked at Crane.

"See?" She asked. Crane sighed and looked down at the ground.

"Fine, I'll tell you if you let me go." He said. Tigress released his wing and he rubbed it, turning around and running down the hall. Po and Tigress gasped and ran after Crane. Po got a head start and was in front of Tigress, only ten five away from Crane. His foot hit a potted plant on the ground and tripped, falling on his stomach. Tigress tripped over Po and fell over him, getting up right away. Po stood up slowly and saw Tigress far ahead of him, and just decided to walk behind them.

Tigress sprinted as fast as she could and dove into him, grabbing him and tackling him to the ground. Crane sighed and sat up against the wall, being pinned by Tigress.

"Crane!" Tigress exclaimed. "You better tell me!" A minute later, Po walked towards them and put his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. Tigress and Crane looked over at him and Po looked up at them, holding up a finger. He sat down on the ground and wiped the sweat off his head, looking up at them. He held his hands up at them and still breathed heavily.

"Continue," he said. Tigress looked back at Crane and nodded.

"Now," she said. "Tell me why you're 'kinda' okay." She said. Crane nodded and looked down at her.

"Can you let go of me?" He asked. "You can surround me, I don't care. This just hurts really bad." Tigress let go and Crane held his wrist, sitting against the wall.

"Okay," he said. "when me and Po went to your doctor this morning," Tigress sighed.

"You went to my doctor behind my back again?" Tigress asked.

"Maybe." Po said. Tigress sighed, looking at Crane.

"You went too?" She asked.

"Me, Po, Monkey, and Mantis." He said. Tigress' eyes grew wide.

"What?"

"Anyway," he said. "the boys left to get food and I promised to stay with the doctor. He walked in the room and is creepily smiling. He told me he had very, very good news. He said that the tests he ran showed something extraordinary. Something miraculous. Something-"

"Just say it!" Tigress exclaimed. Crane flinched and nodded.

"Okay, okay. He said that he couldn't find any cancer cells in your body anymore."

"What?" Tigress asked.

"He said he ran a couple more tests and they all came back the same. None of them came back with cancerous cells. He ran ten more and it was all the same. Congratulations." He said. Tigress smiled and looked over at Po, shrugging.

"Well..." She said. Po smiled too.

"Well?" Po asked. "Is that all? This is great! I can't believe this is happening."

"It seems impossible..." Tigress said quietly. "Cancer can't just go away. Something really good must've happened. Like, God must've helped me or something, I don't know! I'm just glad this is happening to me." She said.

"Well yeah!" Po exclaimed. "Now you can celebrate Christmas worry-free!" Crane nodded and smiled too.

"Yeah, I'm happy too." He said. "Now can I get out please?"


	10. Let's Take A Walk

It was December 23rd. Po and the Furious Five were all sparring in the training room, and they each had their own partner: Po was with Tigress, Crane with Viper, and Monkey was with Mantis. Tigress sighed stopped sparring, walking away from the fight. Po stopped trying and looked at Tigress, walking after her. Tigress stood against the wall and watched he others still spar. She looked at Po, who nodded, and then looked at the other four.

"Come on guys." Tigress said. "I don't think we should be sparring right now. Monkey stopped and turned to Tigress, being punched by Mantis. Monkey turned to him and glared at him, receiving a smile from his best friend.

"Sorry." He said. Monkey ignored him and turned to Tigress.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because tomorrow's Christmas Eve!" Tigress exclaimed. "We can go take a walk or something, but no one's destroying anything yet. No bandits came yet, so let's just take a walk. We could even go to Mr. Ping's if we want." Po nodded and rubbed his stomach.

"I like the Ping idea." He said. Tigress sighed and looked at the others.

"Sound like a good idea?" She asked. Everyone nodded in agreement. Tigress smiled and walked out the doors of the training room.

"Good." She said.

The six warriors stepped outside the doors and felt the cold breeze hit them. Po shivered and folded his arms, putting his foot down on the snow-covered step. The rest of them followed, all folding their arms as well. Po's hat and scarf weren't enough to keep him warm, so he also wore a leather coat he found in Shifu's closet. Surprisingly, it was normal sized and just big enough for him. Tigress looked at Po's coat, then down at her sweatshirt.

"Lucky." She muttered. Po heard and looked behind him, stopping and waiting for her to walk next to him. Po grabbed his coat and looked over at her.

"You sure you don't want it?"

"Oh, no." She said. "It's fine."

"Are you _sure_?" He asked. Tigress nodded.

"Yeah, of course. We're going to your dad's restaurant anyway. It's not that far of a walk." When the six finally got close to the restaurant, Monkey started to run to it, leaving everyone still walking. Monkey stopped in front of the entrance, looking over at the others. They walked over to Monkey and Mantis and looked at the entrance, which was guarded off by a huge metal gate.

"It's blocked off." Mantis said from Monkey's shoulder. Tigress looked over at him and crossed her arms.

"Gee, thanks." She said. Po looked next to the doors and saw a note, pointing at it.

"Guys, it's a note." He said. Tigress started to clap sarcastically.

"Well done, Agent Po." She said. Po turned to her and ripped the note off.

"Oh, you're just on a role!" He turned to the others and read the note aloud.

"Dear valued paying customers, my shop is closed today because tomorrow's Christmas Eve and I need to decorate. By tomorrow, the shop should be done. Happy spending! Love, Mr. Ping." Tigress groaned and hit her head on the wall.

"Closed? Really?" She sighed and sat against the wall, thinking about what to do. But, while she was thinking, she heard Po start to scream.

"Dad! Dad!" Po called, banging on the gate. Tigress and the others looked at Po as he pulled on the gate and waved at the restaurant. He turned around and shrugged, sitting down against the gate.

"It was worth a shot..." He muttered. Then, Po felt the gate open and fell backwards, looking up at his dad. He smiled and got up quickly, looking down at his dad.

"Dad!" He exclaimed. "You're here!"

"I live here, remember?"

"Oh yeah..." Po said, looking down at the ground. He shook his head and looked at the others.

"Well, we came here to eat." Po said. Mr. Ping nodded.

"I bet you did." He said. Tigress walked next to Po and leaned against the open gate.

"Yeah, we've been training." She said. Mr. Ping raised an eyebrow.

"The day before Christmas Eve?" He asked. Tigress looked at Po and smiled sarcastically again.

"See?" She said, walking inside. Mr. Ping walked inside with the others following. They all sat at a table and waited for Mr. Ping to cook the food. Po looked over at Tigress and put his hands on the table.

"Great idea!" He exclaimed. "I could go for some food right now."

"You could _always_ go for some food." Monkey said. Po looked over at Monkey and made a growling sound, keeping him quiet. Tigress nodded and held her arms together.

"I know. I'm hungry." She said. Crane looked behind Tigress and saw a tiger standing behind her with cuts and bruises on him, reaching out for Tigress. He gasped and pointed behind her.

"Tigress, look out!" He exclaimed. Tigress quickly turned around and unsheathed her claws, expecting to see someone there. She stared at the building out the window and sighed, turning to Crane.

"Crane, what're you talking about?" Tigress asked.

"I...I just saw someone behind you." He said. "I thought..."

"Well, did you see the tree?" Monkey asked. Crane shook his head.

"No, there was a tiger with a bunch of cuts and stuff. He was bleeding and reaching out for you. I swear it wasn't an imagination."

"Are you sure?" Po asked. "Because when you see things, I swear it's like real life. You know, you just wanna reach out and grab 'em!" Po exclaimed, putting his hands out and pretending to grab the air. He put his hands down and shrugged.

"Well, you know, that's just me."


	11. White Suit and Strange

Everyone was still eating at Mr. Ping's, and the only one done with his first bowl was Mantis. As the warriors ate, Crane continued to think about the man. Who was it? Who _could've _it been? Crane couldn't identify him because he was a black figure, and he was definitely some kind of ghost because it disappeared before Tigress turned around. Could it've been a warning of some kind? About her cancer? He had no idea.

Everybody had finally finished eating, and Crane decided they went back to the Palace because he was tired, but Po interrupted him.

"How about we go to the mall?" Po asked. Tigress stood up and crossed her arms.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Tigress stated.

"Why?" Monkey asked. "I think it's a great idea! We can shop...umm...we'll find something, I guess." He said. Po nodded.

"Yeah! Exactly!" Po exclaimed. Tigress sighed and pointed at Crane.

"I vote what he said." She said. Crane nodded and raised his hand at Tigress.

"Thank you!" He said, crossing his arms.

"Fine, how about Crane and Tigress just go back to the Palace while we go to the mall?" Mantis asked. Po shrugged and looked at Tigress.

"Sound okay?" He asked.

"Fine with me," she said. Po nodded.

"Good. Let's go guys." Po and the others left to go the mall, and Tigress looked at Crane, shrugging.

"Well, let's get heading back." She said. The two both walked out of the restaurant and closed the gate afterwards, knowing Mr. Ping wouldn't want it open. As they were walking to the Jade Palace, Tigress looked over at Crane, who was looking to his right, not moving his head once. Then, she noticed he was carrying his hat, which he usually had on at all times.

"Crane?"

Crane looked over at her quickly and sighed, putting his wing on his chest.

"You scared me." Crane said.

"Yeah, you were just kinda staring off into space." She said.

"Just, thinking..." He said. "So, what'd you want?" He asked.

"Oh, just...you don't have your hat on." She said. Crane put his hat on and looked at the ground.

"I was...it got hot." He said. Tigress nodded and looked away, thinking about Crane. What did he see? Tigress wanted to know so she could understand. She stopped walking and Crane noticed, turning around and walking back to her.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Tigress shivered and crossed her arms, looking up at Crane.

"I wanna know exactly what you saw."

"Oh, come on Tigress. I don't wanna talk about it. It scared me enough already." He said.

"But I wanna know what he looked like. What he did."

"Well, it was a dark figure that looked like he was brutally beaten and he was reaching out for you." He said, looking at Tigress. Tigress raised an eyebrow and held her hands up, waiting for more.

"That's it?" She asked. Crane nodded.

"That's it." He said. Tigress shrugged.

"I don't understand." She said.

"What do you mean?" Crane asked. "That's what happened. What's so hard to understand?"

"I mean, what could it mean? That doesn't make any sense whatsoever. A bloody figure was reaching for me? I...I can't stop thinking about it. Why me anyway? And why were _you,_ out of everyone, the one to see it?"

"I guess they felt bad for me." Crane said sarcastically. Tigress sighed and started to walk towards the Palace, but she changed the subject. Still, she wondered about it.

"Did you know Po got us Christmas presents?" Tigress asked. Crane nodded.

"Yeah, he told me. I just hope it's not what I think it is." He said. Tigress looked over at him curiously.

"What?" She asked. Crane shook his head.

"Nothing, it's...too embarrassing. I can't say." He said. Tigress smiled and punch his arm playfully.

"Come on!" She exclaimed. "Tell me!"

"Fine," he sighed. "Po...once asked me if I wanted to go to a club, and-"

"Heard enough." Tigress said. Crane laughed and rubbed his arm that still stung from the light punch. He looked down at the ground and sighed, turning to Tigress again.

"Mei Ling." He said. Tigress looked over at him.

"What about her?" She asked.

"She's having a Christmas party tomorrow. I forgot about it! I have nothing to wear, to bring, to-" Tigress closed his beak put a finger to it.

"Shh." She whispered. "Don't worry Crane, I love helping with this kind of thing. I know it doesn't seem like me, but I'm good at picking out suits and other clothes."

"Oh God not a suit." Crane said, feeling Tigress grab his wing.

"Yes, a suit." And by that, Tigress dragged Crane away from the Palace to a nearby clothing store, where she would find Crane exactly what he needed for her to put him together with Mei Ling.


	12. Perfume

It was getting much colder outside and it started to snow hard. A big blizzard was coming that night and the others were going to get everything they could at the mall before it came. The clouds were gray and the trees were already white, showing no green. There was about a foot of snow already and there would be more to come. No one knew what they were in for.

Po and the others walked into the mall, smelling perfume right away. Viper smelled the air and sighed, smiling widely.

"I love perfume." She stated, slithering ahead of everyone. Po narrowed his eyebrows and looked at Monkey, pointing at him.

"Coming through this way was _your_ idea." He said. Monkey sighed and held his hands up.

"I know, I know and I'm sorry. But I had no idea this was the perfume department!" He exclaimed, crossing his arms. "Besides, at least after this we can do something _we_ want." Po nodded.

"True," He said, glancing down at his friend. "Viper, can you hurry up...please?" He asked. Viper turned her head around and up at Po.

"I wanna take my time and get what I want, and I don't wanna rush myself so you guys can go into that football store and buy everything you want!" She exclaimed, showing more hatred than she's ever had. Po scoffed and raised his hands up.

"I just asked a question! What's wrong?"

"Crane's not here?" Monkey joked, laughing and getting smacked by Viper. Monkey flinched and rubbed his cheek in pain.

"If this was football, you'd be penalized." He said, crossing his arms at the snake. Viper turned around again.

"What do ya know, Monkey mixes my attitude with football." Monkey and Po looked at each other and Po smiled, looking down at the ground. Monkey smiled too and looked at Viper.

"Penalty!" He exclaimed. "Unsportsmanlike a-"

"Monkey!" She yelled, looking back at him for the third time, making Monkey and Po jump. "How about this: I'm the ref and _you're_ the players!" She pointed at Monkey first. "Penalty for messing with my anger." She then turned to Po and pointed. "And you for smiling and laughing like a child!" She turned around and started sampling perfumes. Monkey looked up at Po, sighed, then looked back at Viper.

"You should check your voicemail. You missed a few calls." Po and Monkey high-fived and Viper sighed at the joke.

"Why am I even here?" She asked.

Tigress and Crane were walked through the store, surrounded by a load of clothing for Crane to wear. Tigress stopped Crane and grabbed a white suit jacket, showing Crane.

"How about this?" She asked. Crane sighed.

"Tigress, I don't like suits. I don't think any are good." He said. Tigress sighed and grabbed the suit, walking away from Crane.

"There, help me find a white button-down shirt." She said. Crane groaned and threw his head back, walking after Tigress. Tigress grabbed the shirt that Crane said was his size and grabbed a black tie next to it. She then turned around, looking for white dress pants. She searched the store and finally found some in the back. She handed them to him and walked to the changing rooms, pointing at it.

"See how you look." She said. Crane opened the door and walked inside, shutting it slowly. Tigress smiled and crossed her arms, standing against the wall.

"This'll be great." She said to herself.

_30 Minutes Later..._

Tigress was sitting up against the wall, since she fell asleep waiting for Crane. She heard the door open and sat up quickly, standing up and looking at Crane, seeing the clothes perfectly fit him, but he was frowning and crossing his arms.

"You look spiffy!" She exclaimed.

"Don't call me that." He sighed.


End file.
